The temperatures have fallen and the ground is covered in a beautiful blanket of snow.

This can only mean one thing -- the holiday season has arrived! As we all know, this time of year is all about a celebration of good cheer and the joy of giving. With that in mind, we thought we'd take this opportunity to make some suggestions for some amazing Colorado-based organizations to which you could exercise your spirit of giving -- animal style!

PetAid (www.petaidcolorado.org) calls itself the "health care safety net for underprivileged pets and animals at risk" in Colorado. Created by the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association as a non-profit in 2002, PetAid serves the entire Colorado pet community in times of need. It operates a full-service veterinary hospital in Denver offering donor-subsidized medical care to family pets in need. Additionally, the group works to fulfill some really great philosophical goals such as promoting the humane treatment of animals, reducing pet overpopulation and disaster response. It made great efforts in assisting animals during the Colorado fires and the recent flooding.

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We think they're just grrrrrrrreat!

Humane Society of Boulder Valley (www.boulderhumane.org) If you prefer to keep your generosity local, might we suggest the Humane Society of Boulder Valley?

As one of the largest and most active local Humane Societies in the entire country, HSBV also does some amazing work in our community. It finds forever homes for thousands of animals every year while also providing great educational and behavior services.

Additionally, the full-service veterinary hospital is top-notch and offers subsidized care for those in need in the greater Boulder community. We think they are the purrrrfect companion to the Boulder pet-loving community.

Canine Partners of the Rockies (www.caninepartnersoftherockies.org) Perhaps you're a dog lover looking to make a real difference in the life of a human in need? Look no further than the Colorado-based Canine Partners of the Rockies.

CaPR cares for and trains some of the most talented, loving and truly indispensable service dogs in the world. These talented pooches are then matched with a disabled human and custom-trained to individual needs. Often these dogs are able to learn dozens of important skills such as opening/closing doors, retrieving medications, and even tucking their person in. The bond between dog and guardian is deep, special and lifelong.

As you can imagine, the time and cost to raise and train these incredible creatures is also substantial. Please consider donating this giving season to this paw-tastic organization.

Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center (www.greenwoodwildlife.org) It isn't just our companion animals that find themselves in need. The beautiful wildlife of Colorado finds trouble from time to time as well. And how lucky they (and we) are to have Greenwood Wildlife Rehab to swoop in and save them.

Greenwood is an amazing organization dedicated to the mission of, "rehabilitating sick, injured and orphaned wildlife." What makes the group truly special is everything is done with the ultimate goal of releasing the rehabilitated animal back into the wild.

Additionally, Greenwood seeks to educate the public on humane solutions to human-wildlife interactions and concerns. From injured rabbits to orphaned raccoons to lost baby birds, having this dedicated, compassionate, hardworking group of people in our community makes us feel like a squirrel at a corn on the cob eating contest.

We hope you consider offering them some of your holiday generosity.

Happy Holidays from all of us here at BNAH!

Boulder's Natural Animal Hospital is a full-service veterinary hospital located in Boulder that also provides a wide variety of integrative medical options such as acupuncture, low-level laser therapy, canine massage, nutritional supplements, dietary consultation, and some traditional Chinese herbal medicine. The clinic is located at 685 South Broadway. For more information, go to bouldersnaturalanimal.com, find it on Facebook at facebook.com/bouldersnaturalanimal or call 303-494-7877.

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